Optical anisotropy in vertically coupled quantum dots

We have studied the polarization of surface and edge-emitted photoluminescence (PL) from structures with vertically coupled In0.5Ga0.5As/GaAs quantum dots (QD’s) grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The PL polarization is found to be strongly dependent on the number of stacked layers. While single-layer and 3-layer structures show only a weak TE polarization, it is enhanced for 10-layer stacks. The 20-layer stacks additionally show a low-energy side-band of high TE polarization, which is attributed to laterally coupled QD’s forming after the growth of many layers by lateral coalescence of QD’s in the upper layers. While in the single, 3- and 10-layer stacks, both TE polarized PL components are stronger than the TM component, the [110] TE component is weaker than the TM component in the 20-layer stack. This polarization reversal is attributed to an increasing vertical coupling with increasing layer number due to increasing dot size

Size-tunable infrared (1000–1600 nm) electroluminescence from PbS quantum-dot nanocrystals in a semiconducting polymer

Nanocomposites consisting of PbSnanocrystals in a conjugated polymer matrix were fabricated. We report results of photo- and electroluminescence across the range of 1000 to 1600 nm with tunability obtained via the quantum-size effect. The intensity of electroluminescence reached values corresponding to an internal quantum efficiency up to 1.2%. We discuss the impact of using different-length capping ligands on the transfer of excitations from polymer matrix to nanocrystals

Colloidal CdSe and ZnSe/Mn quantum dots: Their cytotoxicity and effects on cell morphology

The CdSe and ZnSe:Mn colloidal quantum dots (QDs) have been synthesized in order to use them as a contrast agent for bioimaging. The synthesis of QDs was made in the aqueous solution. These compounds are fluorescent semiconductor nanoparticles and are held to be promising fluorophores which can be used as an important research tool in biology and medicine. They can be exploited to allocate the problematic biological tissues and individual cells. Their applicability to human examination was studied. For this purpose we investigated the morphological changes in the cells by reacting with the CdSe/l-Cys and ZnSe:Mn/MPA quantum dots. The cytotoxicity of CdSe/l-Cys in the line of breast carcinoma was examined using confocal microscopy. The results can be seen as encouraging